Surface supporting structure



Sept. 12, 1961 R MACULAN SURFACE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 15,1954 'The present invention relates to a surface supporting structuremade of wires or cables of high-grade steel or natural or artificialfibres of glass or the like.

In the prior art wires are partly employed as bearers for the roof skinto replace rafters so that they run from purlin to purlin to reduce thespan, or they are exclusively used as a substitute for the roof lathingsor battens.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an entire carryingstructure for the roof skin consistingof wires stretched between thetrusses, said wires beingof high-grade and of high tensile strength, ase.g. the steel wires used in pre-tensioned concrete.

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Patented Sept. 12, 1961 of the principals The tension employed will beof the order of atleast 2000 kg./cm. or between 28,000 and Anotherobject of the invention'is to provide a wire superstructure for asurface support offering a considerable saving in weight and material byfully utilizing the advantageous properties of high-grade, high tensile,

strength wires or cables made of steel or natural or artificial fibersof glass or the like.

Still another objectv of the invention is to provide wires or cablesstretched between braced abutments exclusively in the longitudinaldirection of the surface e.g. a roof surface under a tension of at least2000 kg./ cm. these of the tensioned wires to the next permitting theskin to be fastened to the wires.

Another object of the. invention is. to employ the ten- 'Wires beingguided on supporting bearers eventually interposed.

permits designs of the skinof the roof in such a manner so as to makethem selfsupporting from one sionedwire structures of the presentinvention as a car-5;.

rier for suspended sheeting to form molds for suspended concreteplatforms, permitting partial surrounding or embedding of the tensionedwire itself in the concrete to carry and to reinforce it.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which like referencenumerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof andwherein:

FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of the invention as applied to acommon gable roof;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the invention as applied to acantilever type of roof;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional detail view to an enlarged scale, of amodification showing the manner in which roof plates or sheeting may beattached to the taut cables.

Referring in detail to the drawing and in particular to FIGURE 1, thereis shown a common gable type roof comprising principals 1 rigidlyconnected in longitudinally-spaced relation at their bases by anysuitable means such as pole plates, not shown, and at their tops orapices by ridgepiece 2. These principals or, more particularly, theirupper edge surfaces, conjointly define a roof area. Solid wires orcables 3 which may be of high-tensile steel, are secured at their endsonly to, and tensioned between, the two end principals 1, parallel withridgepiece 2 and at spaced intervals along the sloping upper edgesurfaces 29,000 p.s.i. Stressing of the cables may be effected byconventional means such as stretching screws.

Roof covering 10 in the form of sheets, plates orstrip of light metal orsteel, corrugated or plain, and other materials, is attached directly tothe cables 3 at intervals therealong.

In FIGURE 2 there is shown a construction of great utility forsheltering railway and airport loading platforms and other areas whichmay or may not, be enclosed by siding. In this construction a number ofspaced columns such as 4, 4a and 4b are rigidly interconnected at theirtops by a ridgepiece 5. Cantilever arms 6, 6a and 6b extend laterallyoutwardly from the ridgepiece which at one or both ends extends anappreciable distance beyond the nearest or adjacent arm. Cables 3 extendover and across the arms parallel with ridgepiece 5 and at the terminalarms 6 and 6b converge to the contiguous end of the ridgepiece, to whichthey are secured. The cables merely pass about suitable abutments, notshown, upon terminal arms 6 and 6b so that substantially the entire ingholders9 for attachment of theroofing skin., The

holders 9 are secured to the wires 3". In this instance, in-

stead of a single wire 3, a pair of wires are provided. A

fianging tongue 7 integral with the holder 9, which may be made of ametal-strip, may be used for this purpose for connection with the wires.The upper side of the holder preferably, i is profiled for receiving theroofing skin 10 and has recesses or folds 8 mounted below the roofingskin 10.

The holders 9 simultaneously will impart to the pretensioned wires acertain rigidity and will serve as car-.- riers for receiving sound orheat'damping layers orjfor carrying a specified plate lining.

The fastening of the wires or cables to the terminal trusses or the likemay be executed by conventional means. The wires may be rigidly attachedto the one terminal girder and anchored to the other terminal girder andmay be tightened e.g. by means of a stretching screw. But it is alsopossible to maintain the tension by means of a weight, whereby a part ofthe building, e.g. a front wall, or the like may be used as weight, inorder to prevent the wires from oscillating in a vertical plane. Thewires may be aflixed from beneath by additional wires arranged in themiddle of the individual fields defined by two adjoining beams.Furthermore, the abutment forces generated by tensioning the wiresagainst the shoulders ing subjected by the useful load to tensile or tobending stresses. The compressive pre-tension imparted in accordancewith the present invention to a concrete portion of a building may beincreased up to a point where the flexion-traction reinforcement may befound superfluous. In the manner analogous to the pre-tensioning ofsteel wire concrete reinforcement, tensions may be generated inaccordance with the present invention in a building in various mannersto release parts of a building from excess tensile and bending stresses.

In certain cases it is advisable to utilize the forces 0 traction actingthrough the wires to apply a compressive force to the building. In suchan instance the tensile forces are conducted down into the soil by wayof terminal structures and through the foundations. Thus it is possibleto erect buildings which at their ends are provided with two rigidblocks relatively heavy, but of small surface, whereas the totallarge-surface intermediate structure is elastic, consisting e.g. ofstretched Wires with an elastic roof skin. This feature is of particularimportance in cases of air-raid danger, or of unreliable building groundsuch as in case of earthquake risks when a settlement of theintermediate trusses may eventually have to be reckoned with. In thosecases in which a compression resisting plate should appear in the finalstate, the parts of the building, serving for the anchorage of thepre-tensioned wires, must be braced in respect to each other only bypressure members arranged for the duration of the erection. As soon asthe compression resisting plate will have set, these pressure membersare to be removed, whereby after the setting of the plate the anchorageof the stretched Wires is also to be removed so that the traction of thesteel wires is maintained by the plate.

The roofing skin of the surface supporting structure always must bedesigned in such a manner that it is selfsupporting between the wires.Corrugated iron sheets, profile sheets of all kind, rigid plates made ofvarious materials are employed for this purpose, also flexible materialsof a sufl'icient tensile strength, such as rubber mats, tent-cloth, andthe like may be used. The tensioned wire of the present invention alsomay be em- "ployed as carriers for suspended sheeting such aslaid forpouring concrete plates, of high compressive strength. 'Preferably lightconcrete with filler mixed therein are employed herewith. The structuresof the present invention also may be used as means of support ofsheetings to drum surface linings and sound and heat damping bartiers.

means for certain roofing systems. The pre-tensioning of these Wires maythen be executed by twisting two or more parallel and contiguous wiresWhose ends are [rigidly fixed. '1 c The wire structures of the presentinvention may be 4 v surrounded partially with concrete orentirelyembedded therein. Because of the sag the wires embedded inconcrete run within the fields corresponding to the moment curve whichfeature is of advantage in respect to static structures. H g t Ca blesmay be made offibres ot'natural or artificial glass (acryl resins),adapted to resist high tensile forces.

In the claims, the term principal" has the usual meaning of theconstruction which gives shape and strength to a roof, generally one ofseveral trusses of timber or iron." 7 I I claim: I

A roof construction comprising a pair of spaced erect standards, aridgepiece supported atop and rigidly interconnecting said standards, aplurality of pairs of cantilever arms secured to said ridgepiece, thearms of each said pair extending laterally outwardly therefrom inopposite directions at spaced intervals along said ridgepiece, said armsconjointly defining a sloping roof area, said ridge"- piece having eachend extending beyond the adjacent one of said pairs of arms, a pluralityof spaced cables extending over and across and supported by said armsand tensioned therebetween in parallel relation with said ridgepiece,all said cables at said ends converging toward and secured under tensionto the contiguous extending end of said ridgepiece whereby the same isdirectly compressed by the tension in said cables, and metallic sheeringextending over and supported on and by said cables, said sheetingextending over said roof area and being-attached to said cables atintervals only therealong.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

